The Sleeper
by Vesalius
Summary: When Bo pulls out the shaman's cursing nails on her quest to free Nadia, she unknowingly wakes up ancient beings that were better left asleep.
1. The Curse

**Sleeper** [slee-per] _n_. - 1. A person or thing that sleeps. 2. Something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure.

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><p>To ensure the integrity of the curse's removal, the nail must be removed by a selfless act, demonstrating the purest form of love in existence.<p>

In other words, Lauren could not know.

Bo hadn't the slightest idea how she would tell Lauren her of her plan to visit the Congo anyway, but now the option was lost to her. Knowing the doctor, she would have forbid Bo to go. "It isn't your fight," she would say. "It's far too dangerous. I won't have you risking your life for me." Lately though, Bo was finding out that she would risk almost anything for Lauren. When she'd learned that she had to find a shaman in the Congo to ensure Lauren's freedom, Bo didn't put much thought into what horrors she might face while she was there. It didn't matter. Not really. She would do it without a moment's hesitation if it earned Lauren the freedom she deserved.

Now all Bo had to do was wait for Lachlan's word. He was the one that held all the answers. He wasn't always forthcoming with them, but he seemed sincere enough about allowing Bo's quest for Lauren's freedom. At Bo's last check earlier today, he was arranging her travel plans. She'd been waiting for two hours already. If Lauren's freedom wasn't hinging on Lachlan's cooperation, Bo probably would have stormed the office and attacked the Ash herself a long time ago. Though it physically pained her to do so, she forced herself to remain seated on the stone bench outside, burying her face in her hands and rubbing her temples with her fingertips while she waited.

"So you're really going then?" a deep, familiar voice sounded by her side.

"Of course I'm going. I already told you that Dyson." He was the only one besides Kenzi that knew about Bo's mission, and she'd already sworn him to secrecy.

He sat down at the bench next to her, leaving a comfortable distance between them. "I thought you might reconsider when you realized what that meant when you got back."

"What's that?"

"Nadia."

A weight settled in Bo's stomach again. Of course she'd thought about the implications of Nadia's return — once or twice, not anymore than was absolutely necessary. It was a matter of weighing the injustice of Lauren's slavery against Bo's pain of seeing her with someone else. Bo was willing to suffer through her jealousy if it meant Lauren finally got the freedom she deserved. An opportunity like this might not come around again. She wouldn't let her jealously be the reason Lauren remained a slave for the rest of her life. The doctor deserved more, Bo was convinced of that now more than ever.

"I know she's coming back," Bo answered. "That doesn't mean that I won't ever see Lauren again."

It had been five years since Nadia slipped into her coma. Five years since the former Ash cursed her by driving that nail in the plank. That was a long time, and there was no telling what Lauren's emotions were anymore regarding her former girlfriend. It wasn't her place to ask. Bo could only hold onto the fantasy she would replay over and over in her mind, the one where Lauren realized that she had moved on from Nadia and chose Bo, as a free woman this time, not a slave, letting Nadia leave the Fae completely and carry on with her life, living it without Lauren (an important distinction, in Bo's mind).

"Hmm," Dyson muttered noncommittally. "Well either way, the Congo's a dangerous place. Has the Ash offered to send you a hand?"

"No. Why would he? It has to be a selfless act, so _I'm_ the one that has to lift the curse. Nobody else would be able to do it."

Dyson frowned. "It doesn't mean that you would no longer be in charge, Bo. It's customary if you're sent on a mission in a hostile area, though he might have skipped the niceties since you're unaligned. The Congo houses amongst the most dangerous Fae and underfae in existence. For your own safety you could really benefit from another set of eyes while you're there."

"And I'm sure you have someone in mind, right?"

"I could always go with you."

"_You?_" Bo asked incredulously.

Bo and Dyson's history was a complicated mess, and though they'd recently been doing better at rekindling their friendship, the offer still rang alarm bells in Bo's head. Dyson being involved in anything relating to Lauren worried her for reasons she couldn't quite put a finger on. He and Lauren had been cautiously good-natured to each other ever since the wolf lost his love, but Bo didn't know how she felt about him being involved in such a critical part of the woman's life. It seemed wrong somehow.

"Unless there was trouble, you wouldn't even know I was there," he said, and a friendly grin spread across his face. "I promise — wolf's honor." He held up three fingers on his right hand, forming an easily recognizable "W" shape.

The action drew a genuine laugh from Bo. "You know that was stupid, right?"

"Ah… well apparently, stupid is in my nature."

The doors to the Lachlan's office swung open, and as soon as Bo heard the long-awaited sound, she sprang to her feet. The Ash's attendant was standing in the space between the double doors, blocking Bo's path to the Light Fae's leader. If he didn't move quickly, Bo was liable to run him over in her haste to see his boss. The attendant led Bo inside, and without saying anything, Dyson followed as well. He announced their presence, earning a wave of acknowledgment form the Ash, and then they were left waiting once again while Lachlan busied himself with paperwork on his desk. Bo started tapping her foot impatiently against the stone floor, the sound echoing rather loudly in the spacious office.

"You've done so well up to this point, Bo," said the Ash. "I would hate to see you lose control of yourself when you're so close to your goal."

He didn't once look up from the papers he was scribbling on, making Bo irrationally angry. She had an important job to do, and he couldn't even be bothered to look at her? Bo was sorely tempted to wring his neck, and she might have done it if she wasn't totally dependent on his help — though she wasn't totally averse to the idea _after_ she'd secured Lauren's freedom.

"I'm sorry for the confusion, Ms. Dennis," Lachlan said in his most professional tone. "I had everything ready for you, but I didn't know until this morning that you would be having another companion join you on your quest. I needed more time to make arrangements."

Bo glared at Dyson angrily. Though she was leaning toward accepting his offer of help, he'd already announced to the Ash that he was going hours ago, before he'd even broached the subject with her and _definitely_ before she'd agreed to it. Dyson's presumptuousness irritated her, and he at least had the good sense to appear shame faced at the revelation.

"These are for you, Bo," Lachlan said, gesturing to one set of forms on his desk, "and these are yours, Dyson." The shifter's stack of forms consisted of only a few sheets of paper, yet Bo's looked more like a manuscript for a novel. "Once I get some signatures, you'll be good to go."

"What are all these?" Bo asked.

"Your waivers," Lachlan answered. "Since I'm fairly sure you won't be reading them, let me summarize. I've arranged for your transportation with one of our preferred Light Fae contractors, but that is the extent of my involvement here. Neither myself, nor anyone in this clan is responsible for any injury that may befall you during your mission, and that includes any injuries sustained while traveling. And Dyson, since this is officially a non-sanctioned activity, you may not claim any injuries or damages to your personal belongings on our insurance."

Lachlan's signature was already in place over every page; the only blank left was for the _Signature of the Participant_, which in this case meant Bo.

"Fine, whatever." Bo began frantically signing her name in every remaining blank, eager to get through the stack as quickly as possible. According to Lachlan, she could leave as soon as she finished, so the only one holding up her progress anymore was herself.

Dyson was finished with his forms in approximately two minutes, leaving Bo to struggle through hers. Her hand was cramping severely by the time she worked through the entire stack, but Bo would do it all over again if the plan worked. She flicked her pen across the page for last time and pushed the signed papers back toward Lachlan.

"There. I'm done," she said. "Now when do I leave?"

"Your appointment with the travel agency is tomorrow. I believe Mr. Thornwood already knows the address."

"Tomorrow?! You said I could leave as soon as I finished signing your damned papers!"

Bo's hands were on her hips, and she was staring daggers at him. Lachlan looked at her like he was an exhausted teacher trying to impart knowledge on a failing student. "Have you really thought about your plans once you get to the Congo, Bo?"

"Yeah. Find the shaman, remove Nadia's nail, and free Lauren. It's as simple as that."

"It's not that simple," Lachlan argued. "I know that Tshombe, the shaman you seek, has been living in the Congo River Basin for the past hundred years, but he hasn't stayed in one spot within that region very long. I can't tell you with any certainty where he's located."

"Then I won't sleep until I find him," Bo declared.

"You'll need to, Bo. A shaman as powerful as Tshombe has had to deter others from doing what you're seeking to do. A curse isn't meant to be easily lifted, and Tshombe is notorious for protecting his cursing nails. He's cast a protective spell around the perimeter of the area, so I can't get you any closer than fifty miles without risking your safety. One of our clan members got lost in that area a few years back, and when we tried to send in a rescue party to the heart of the Congo River Basin… well, let's just say that their bodies were delivered back to the compound in… less than optimal condition."

"Fine. But every second I'm here is a second I could be using to find this guy," Bo said angrily. "You gave me your word, Lachlan."

"And indeed I plan to keep it. Just be rational, Bo," Lachlan implored her. "The second you leave, you'll be in the thick of the Congolese jungle, away from the safety of this city, and away from the structure of the clans. That's a lawless area, truly dangerous. At any second, you might be attacked by Bogies, Tokoloshe, Gbahalis, Popobawas, any number of carnivorous insect underfae… I'm only asking you that you go after a good night's sleep, fully alert, and ready to fight. It's your best chance of surviving."

"And why do you care so much if I live anyway?"

"You're in a unique position, being unaligned. It would be invaluable for the Light Fae to have you as an ally. And with any luck, hopefully _you_ will be able to persuade Dr. Lewis to stay with us once she attains her freedom."

Bo frowned in confusion. "But if you gave her freedom, why would she leave?"

"We can discuss that later," Lachlan said, averting his eyes.

"So you get to keep your doctor, and you also get me as an ally," Bo mused. "Not one of your worst plans, I'll give you that."

"That remains to be seen." The Ash stood up from behind his desk, smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed in his suit while sitting down. "Now I need both of you to get some rest before tomorrow morning. Spend time with your loved ones. Eat, sleep, and get ready for a long road ahead of you."

"Thank you, Ash," Dyson said with a bow of his head, a sign of deference to his leader.

Bo wasn't going to follow it with a bow of her own. Nobody owned her, and before long, Lauren wouldn't have to bow before Lachlan either. The thought warmed her from the inside and was the only reason a smile came to her face at that instant, though Lachlan would probably think it was intended for him.

"Yeah, thanks," Bo said, her mind playing out a scene from one of her recurrent dreams recently. In it, Bo saw Lauren's elation in discovering her freedom and was there to share that moment with her. She couldn't wait for all of it to be real.

* * *

><p>Kenzi crawled to the foot of Bo's bed, where she was already curled up underneath the covers. A few hours ago, Dyson dropped off maps of the area so Bo could familiarize herself with the terrain before they arrived tomorrow. Between slices of pizza Bo had memorized every creek and mountain on the map; there was no further information to glean from the paper, but she stared at it to distract herself from those nagging thoughts she'd rather not confront yet. She should have known that Kenzi wouldn't let her hide for long. The girl sat with her legs folded, watching Bo intently as she took another bite of pizza (with no plate, of course).<p>

"I know Lachlan told you to get some rest, but seriously Bo… it's not even nine o'clock," Kenzi said. "We could still kill some zombie hookers, you know."

"I'm not in the mood for video games, Kenz." Bo didn't even bother looking up from the map, so she missed Kenzi rolling her eyes at her. She only reacted when Kenzi reached forward to snatch the map from her grasp. "Hey! I was looking at that!"

"Puh-lease. You have been looking at that thing since Dyson brought it over hours ago. I know you think you're directionally challenged, but I think even you have it all figured out by now." Kenzi folded it along its existing creases and placed it out of Bo's reach. "I wanted to talk to you before you go off saving the world again."

Bo sat upright, adjusting her pillows along the headboard of her four-poster bed to see her best friend more clearly. There was a concerned look on her face, which wasn't a usual look for Kenzi. "Yeah sure, what is it?"

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Kenzi asked, lowering the half-eaten slice of pizza into her lap.

"How can you even ask me that question? This is about Laur—"

"Yeah, yeah, Lauren's freedom, I know," Kenzi cut her off. Bo interpreted it as a dismissal of her task, and she opened her mouth to argue, but Kenzi raised a hand to silence her. "I know how important that is to you, Bo-Bo, and I get it. I lurves me some Lauren now too, especially after those cupcakes. You want to slay dragons and free your girl from the big, bad Ash, even if it means giving her up to someone else. It's kind of fairy tale cheesy, even for you, but I get why you want to do it."

"So then what's the problem?" Bo frowned.

"Lauren has always stayed here because she no other choice," Kenzi explained. "If she doesn't have to stay anymore, if she's completely free, don't you worry that…"

"That she'll leave? No."

"Things have sucked for her here, Bo. Back when she was crashing with us, Lachlan's goons came storming our place while you were gone and threatened to hurt me unless Lauren gave herself up, which she did. The woman has been through some shit since she's been here, and coming from someone who's spent half her life running away, I would understand it if she decided to get out of town."

The thought had been plaguing Bo's subconscious, but she'd never really considered the possibility until now. That was a worse-case scenario; more likely, in Bo's opinion, she would just have to endure Nadia's return. The dynamics of their relationship would change, and that would certainly hurt, but she'd still get to see Lauren every day. Well, most days, at least, if Bo put her mind to it. She could endure that if Lauren got her freedom. But Lauren leaving entirely? Never seeing her again? Bo wasn't sure she could handle that, as unlikely as the scenario seemed. It was like Lauren said during their first meeting; any other work for her in the human world would seem pedestrian now. Her brilliant mind would crave the academic challenge that only working in the Fae world provided, and Bo desperately clung to that notion, knowing that it was the main factor in keeping Lauren around.

"Lachlan is a jackass, I'll give you that. But she loves the work she does here," Bo said. "She said it herself: she couldn't really see herself going back to human medicine now."

"I'm just saying to think about it, Bobolicious. I'd hate to see you go to all this trouble and lose your girl. Speaking of which," Kenzi grinned, "why aren't you getting a last minute check-up before you leave tomorrow?"

"She can't know about where I'm going. It has to be a secret."

"Then don't tell her, you dolt!" Kenzi joked. "Seriously though, you have to go to the middle of the freaking jungle — no telling how long that's gonna take — you should at least see her to tell her goodbye before you leave because when you get back, there will probably be someone else throwing off your lurve vibes."

Bo stiffened. She hadn't thought about it that way. If everything went according to plan, this was her last opportunity to see Lauren before she'd have to contend with Nadia's presence. She frantically reached for her phone on the nightstand and dialed Lauren. She tried once… Twice… Three times. There was no answer, and a feeling of panic overcame her. Kenzi patted her knee though the sheets reassuringly.

"It's okay, hon," Kenzi placated her. "She's probably just doing her science stuff."

Bo shifted in the bed, and grabbed at the covers, preparing to throw them off and make a quick run to the lab. Kenzi anticipated this reaction and moved swiftly to sit on her best friend's feet. The movement effectively pinned Bo in place, and she glared at Kenzi with an irritated expression.

"Slow your roll there, succubutt," Kenzi said. "You, my dear, are in your pajamas, and you know Lauren would answer the phone if she could. She gets to work super-early, why not just see her then? You can have breakfast with Hotpants, and then you and Dyson can go play jungle warriors after that."

Bo narrowed her eyes at Kenzi. Though Dyson had brought over a few maps earlier for her to study, the interaction had been short and neither of them mentioned the fact that he'd be going with her the next day. "You knew Dyson was coming with me?"

Kenzi looked away guiltily. "I might have suggested it to him."

"Kenzi!"

The girl held her free hand up in a show of surrender. "What? I worry about you, okay? I figure that as long as he's been around, he probably knows a few things that could help, so I asked him to volunteer to go with you. I know you guys are all weird now, but he really is trying, Bo. I just want you to be safe. You know that."

"Fine," Bo grumbled.

Having Dyson there would add a certain degree of safety, for sure. In a dense rainforest, there was a possibility of predators striking from anywhere, even on the forest floor or directly overhead. Having another set of eyes and ears at her disposal, even a nose like Dyson's, wouldn't go amiss. As long as he didn't say or do anything that would tempt Bo to kill him, it probably wasn't a bad choice. The mission would test their friendship though; after he'd turned into an asshole extraordinaire, they'd never been forced to work so closely together.

"Excellent. Now let me go take care of this —", Kenzi held up the pizza in her hand, "— and I will back to give you your prescribed snuggles for the evening."

Sometime later, after Kenzi had gotten her fill of pizza and changed into one of Bo's oversized t-shirts, she returned, crawling beside her best friend and nestling against her. Her small body fit easily in Bo's arms, and she held her tight against her, a comfortable sleeping arrangement that was used to heal all hurts and ease all troubles. The last time they'd slept like this, it had been when Bo's heart was broken. Now that it was mended, Bo held onto Kenzi to protect herself from another heartbreak.

All Bo could do was fight. She would fight for Lauren like she was fighting for her own life. She unconsciously squeezed Kenzi a bit closer to her as she tried to ward off the negative thoughts threatening to creep inside her mind, but Kenzi obviously interpreted the action a little differently.

"You listen here, Bo. I know that you're going to be dreaming about your sweet, hot, lady love tonight, but if you get handsy with me while you're asleep I'm going to kick your ass out of this bed." Kenzi's tone was stern and disapproving.

Even in the deepest corners of her subconscious, Bo would never confuse Lauren's presence with that of her best friend. She'd memorized in vivid detail the way Lauren smelled, the way Lauren's hair felt pressed up against her cheek, and the way Lauren's body seem to meld perfectly against hers. Kenzi's presence provided a different kind of comfort, but for Bo, there was no mistaking Lauren for another.

"No worries, Kenzi," Bo said with a happy smile.

* * *

><p>There were few things in the world as predictable as Lauren getting to the medical labs before everyone else. When Bo arrived, it didn't surprise her that she showed up to a nearly empty Light Fae compound. The sky was still dark, and nobody was awake at this ungodly hour. Normally, Bo would have been difficult to rouse as well, but the prospect of seeing Lauren one more time before she left was the extra impetus Bo needed to get herself out of bed. If she succeeded in the Congo, it would be the last time she'd see Lauren before Nadia's return. If Bo wasn't successful, then she wouldn't see Lauren at all.<p>

To Bo, it felt like she was being dumped somehow, but that was stupid, and she knew it. None of this was Lauren's fault. She'd had a life before her enslavement to the Fae, and it was only natural she would return to it. Bo couldn't begrudge her that. She simply hadn't known about Nadia and the life they'd shared together, always assuming that there was some scientific appeal that drew Lauren into this horrid situation. The reality stung, knowing that there was another woman that held a piece of Lauren's heart, but it also made Bo proud of the depths of her character. Not many would have behaved so selflessly in that situation, yet Lauren did. To save the woman she loved, she gave up everything, blindly placing her trust in a man who didn't deserve it. Now Bo was going to make things right once again.

_A selfless act of love._ It was a recurring theme for them, apparently.

Despite Bo's efforts to walk as silently as possible, the heels of her boots had other ideas, and Lauren heard her the moment she came inside, glancing up from her work and smiling widely.

"Hey, stranger," Lauren said. "I normally don't see you around here this early."

Bo lifted the small sack in her left hand and the drink tray in her right. "I've come bearing gifts. I know you normally don't bother eating in the morning, so I brought you the necessities: donuts and coffee." She handed the sack and one of the cups to Lauren, keeping the other for herself. A sense of nervousness started creeping inside her, knowing where she was going to go in just a little over an hour. Bo shoved her newly freed hand in her pocket to keep from fidgeting. "Do you have a few minutes?" she asked, eying the collection of microscope slides littering the desk.

"Of course. This can wait." Lauren nodded toward her current project. "I just like getting here early and working while it's quiet."

_It certainly was quiet_, Bo thought. There wasn't a single soul in the place other than the pair of them. Lauren led them to her office, cleaning off corner of her desk to make space for them to split the donuts. The doctor took one right away while Bo merely nibbled at hers.

"You know, I didn't even ask if you needed anything," Lauren said with a sudden wave of realization. "Is something wrong? Is that why you're here this early?" Her expression suddenly became worried at the idea, which made Bo's heart clench for a moment. If Lauren knew the truth of Bo's mission, she would be even more upset.

"No, nothing like that. Just stopped by to see you."

Lauren visibly relaxed at the news. In her defense, the last time Bo came to see Lauren early in the morning was back when her mother was hellbent on destroying the Fae, so the concern was probably justified.

"That's good," Lauren smiled. "But there would be more time after work if you wanted to stop by later. We could—"

"I can't. I'm sorry."

"Oh?" Lauren frowned.

"I have a job lined up."

Bo didn't volunteer any more details. Her mouth had a questionable filter most days, and once she started talking, there was no guaranteeing she would be able to stop before she gave away everything. If she did that, then she'd never attain Lauren's freedom, and she'd come too far to ruin everything on a technicality. It was best for her to keep any answers regarding her mission as short as possible to avoid saying too much.

"Well, we could always meet up tomorrow."

"I can't then, either."

Lauren's concerned expression returned in full force. "Bo, you've never had a case take you away like this before. What kind of job is this?"

"I can't… I can't say…" Bo looked away, taking another tiny bite of her donut to cover up her growing discomfort at having to hide these answers from Lauren.

"Is it dangerous?" When Bo didn't respond immediately, Lauren rightly assumed the worst. She stood abruptly and moved around to the other side of the desk to claim the chair closest to Bo, their knees brushing with the sudden proximity. Bo tried to keep her heart rate in check but failed miserably; it seemed like it was beating so loud that it could be heard in the next room. "Bo, listen to me. You don't have to do anything that you're not comfortable with. There are plenty of other cases that you can work… If this is about money, I can—"

"Lauren, no," Bo cut her off. "It's not about money." She'd been known to accept risky cases in the past because they paid better, but once she'd taught Kenzi a thing or two about not splurging their hard-earned money on nonessentials, they weren't constantly strapped for cash like they'd been in their early days together. They weren't rich, but they were comfortable (it also helped that they were living rent free).

"Then why would you put your life in danger like that?"

"I know it doesn't make any sense, but I _have_ to do this. Lauren, this is the most important thing I've ever done."

Lauren placed a concerned hand on Bo's knee, but the troubled frown never left her face. "What job could possibly be so important to make you risk your own life like that?" The look in her eyes was almost pleading — pleading for answers or pleading for Bo not to go — she wasn't sure which.

"I'm not allowed to tell you," Bo said miserably.

Lauren searched Bo's expression for some sort of answer, and Bo forced herself to not cave under her gaze. It was difficult not giving Lauren what she wanted, but Bo drew her motivation from remembering why she was doing the mission in the first place.

"Bo, if you're going to do whatever it is, just, please…" Lauren sighed heavily in resignation, "please be safe."

"I will. Dyson will be there too. Between the two of us, there aren't many people that could get the drop on us."

Lauren's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Dyson?"

Bo wanted to kick herself for accidentally letting that information slip. If Lauren knew Dyson was involved, there was a good chance she would rightly deduce that it was a job for the Ash. Even if Lauren didn't have the other details, the timing of the case might seem suspicious if Nadia woke up while she was gone.

"Yeah, he's going to help me out. So there's nothing to worry about, see?" Bo deflected. "I'm going to be fine, and I'll be back before you know it. Then if you're up for it, we can make a date." It almost hurt Bo to say those last words. She would like nothing more than to have Lauren over at her place — cook her dinner, cuddle together on the couch, then move onto other, far sexier activities later — but chances were that Lauren wouldn't be in the mood to do those things when Bo got back. She'd be busy with Nadia.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Deal," Bo smiled. "Like I said, I don't have much time, and I wanted to see you before I left."

"How long will you be gone?"

Bo shrugged. "It depends. A couple of days maybe."

"When do you have to leave?"

"Eight o'clock."

The clock behind Lauren's desk read just a few minutes past seven o'clock. Bo wasn't that worried about being late. Among other things Lauren was adamant about, she was also a stickler for punctuality and kept her office clock set fifteen minutes fast. Bo was already dressed in her most breathable jeans and favorite leather jacket, but she still needed to return to the crack shack and pack her personal arsenal for the trip. That wouldn't have made it on the compound without alarming the Light Fae security team on duty.

"As much as I hate it, I really have to go. I enjoyed seeing you." Truer words were never spoken, and it was a bittersweet moment for Bo knowing what would come later. "I'll see you later?"

Lauren nodded. "Bo, please, just come back safe."

Bo had heard those words from Lauren once before. Last time Lauren said them, she initiated a frantic kiss in this same lab. She wouldn't be doing that this time, Bo was certain. The circumstances were different, and after the awkward kiss in Nadia's pod room, they'd been more hesitant with each other. In that moment, it had felt right, but once clearer heads prevailed, they both realized the strangeness of their predicament. They'd been friendly but romantically stiff with each other ever since. But this could potentially be Bo's last chance to do what she so desperately wanted, and she wasn't about to let the moment pass her by.

Bo leaned forward, curling her hand around the back of Lauren's neck and pulled her into a kiss.

The move caught Lauren by surprise. Her lips were still at first, but Bo's were insistent, and it didn't take long before Lauren was kissing her back just as fervently. Bo wasn't sure how much time passed, she was so lost in the softness of Lauren's lips and the faintly sweet smell of her hair. Bo reached up with her other hand to thread her fingers through Lauren's sleek tresses, and with a herculean effort, she pulled away, pressing her own lips together for a moment to savor the taste of their kiss. Lauren's eyes fluttered open a second later.

"That was…" Lauren whispered, apparently unable to articulate a fully coherent thought.

"I know."

There were a lot of ways Lauren could have finished that sentence and Bo would have understood any one of them. She was still mixed up over Nadia after the Lich's revelation. After hearing she was cursed, Lauren probably felt guilty for her involvement with Bo to a certain degree, and Bo couldn't bear to hear her voice those thoughts aloud. She stood up before Lauren could start doubting her actions and headed toward the door.

"I'll see you later?" Lauren asked, making her pause in the doorway.

Bo gave her a forlorn smile. "You can count on it."

* * *

><p>Bo adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder to keep it from cutting into her skin. She didn't want to be under-prepared in any way, so if there was some debate as to whether a certain item needed to go, it ended up in the bag. She had eight different styles of long swords, countless combat daggers, and a handful of shurikens stowed away, and she even brought a couple of unique items, like a katar and a medium-sized battle axe that Kenzi "found" a year ago on a case. At the last minute, Kenzi also suggested a crossbow, which was strapped across Bo's other shoulder. Every pocket in Bo's wardrobe held an appropriately sized weapon, and she had her favorite thigh scabbard in place as well.<p>

_No harm in being over-prepared_, Bo thought. Kenzi clapped her hands proudly at how fierce Bo looked in her battle getup and jumped at the opportunity to join her when she went to the Fae travel agency.

Dyson stared at Bo incredulously when she arrived to the facility. He was in his usual attire, save for the couple of knives that were strapped to his belt. His only other weapon was a curved machete blade, which was clenched firmly in one hand. He shook his head as he glanced at Bo's assortment of weaponry.

"For the love of the gods, Bo… Are you planning on fielding an army while we're in the Congo?" His tone was a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and it rubbed Bo the wrong way.

"A girl can never have enough weapons," Bo replied. Behind her, Kenzi nodded her head eagerly in agreement.

"Did you take a look at those maps last night? We've got to get through fifty miles of dense rainforest on foot and cross a river. You're not going to want to carry fifty pounds of gear with you the entire way."

"But I _need_ it."

Dyson stepped around to Bo's back, unzipping the bag and examining its contents. He pulled the hilts of the swords from their encasement. "You're not going to be able to use any of these," he said. "The trees are too close together. You won't have room to make a full swing." His hand settled on another object, and he rolled his eyes. "A crossbow? Really?"

Bo shrugged. "It's useful."

"Yeah, maybe if you've got the open space to aim and shoot. Not going to be much use where we're going."

"Okay then, genius. What do you recommend?"

"A flashlight, for starters. Then a short blade for fighting at close quarters. Something you could throw too if necessary." Both of those matched the description of Bo's thigh dagger. "And you'll need something to cut through thick vines and bushes, preferably something curved and not too long." He eyed the blade in his hand fondly.

Now it was Bo's turn to roll her eyes. "So basically what _you_ brought then."

"Well, of the two of us, I _am_ the only one who's actually been to the Congo before."

"Fine." Bo unpacked the bag, removing one of the curved blades from her collection. She eyed the other contents hesitantly, and when she was sure Dyson wasn't looking, she stuffed the shurikens in her jacket's inside pocket and out of sight. "Happy now?"

The wolf's smile was smug, making Bo momentarily regret that she'd allowed him to join her. "Very."

An unfamiliar woman cleared her voice at the counter. She wasn't there when Bo arrived moments earlier. Judging by her appearance, she was the one that would be helping them today. Her smile was unnaturally cheery, and she was dressed in what looked like a clichéd flight attendant's uniform, bright red and totally hideous. If she was trying to pass a human travel agent, she was failing miserably.

Kenzi hefted the discarded weapons bag over her shoulder, and Bo approached the desk with Dyson following at a distance behind her.

Bo said: "Hi, I'm supposed to be going to the Congo today. Lachlan sent me."

"You'll need to take a number," the woman said sweetly. Her voice sounded artificial, like a pre-taped recording.

Bo frowned and looked behind her at Dyson. Other than him and Kenzi, there weren't any other customers. By the looks of it, they probably didn't ever get many customers here. Other than the occasional picture of a beach or a mountainside hanging from the plain white walls, the place was completely bare. It lacked the usual signs of a thriving business — stray papers everywhere, multiple phones ringing, a full staff, and most importantly, patrons.

"Are you kidding me?" Bo asked.

"You'll need to take a number," the woman repeated in the same rehearsed tone.

This time, however, she cast her eyes to a dispenser to Bo's right, where a piece of paper was sticking out, ready to be taken. Bo grabbed it, reading the giant "1" on the slip. On cue, the woman pressed a button, and an LED sign behind her flashed a message that read "Now Serving: 1". It was all too bizarre for Bo, who stepped forward and handed over the piece of paper.

"Ah, number one I see," the agent said happily. She glanced over her shoulder to confirm that the numbers matched — as if it could be anything else — and smiled brightly at Bo. Her high level of energy was entirely unnatural. "Your name, please?"

The succubus gaped at her. "Bo. Bo Dennis."

"Hello Bo Dennis, it's nice to meet you. My Name is Bashira Falak Manar… but you can call me Peggy. Most people do — it's easier. I see here on your file that you will be traveling with one guest?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Excellent. Now I have your itineraries here. There aren't many tourist attractions in the Congo, but I hear that the weather is nice and warm this time of the year." She pushed two pieces of paper forward on the desk, one each for Bo and Dyson. There was a notation mentioning their departure for the Congo, but other than that, the page was completely blank. There was no mention of a return trip either, a fact that didn't escape Bo's notice.

"So when does our flight leave to get back?" Bo asked.

"A _flight_?" Peggy's eyes grew wide at the mere suggestion of an airplane. "Heavens no, Ms. Dennis! We would never use such primitive modes of transportation here! Don't you know how dangerous it is to fly in those awful metal tubes? People have died flying in planes!"

"Lachlan mentioned that some of his clan died while traveling to the Congo in the past," Bo argued. "How did you send them there?"

"That was a rather unfortunate accident," Peggy said, though her voice didn't seem altogether upset about whatever happened. "We didn't know about the protective radius surrounding the heart of the Congo Basin before. How were we supposed to know that any travelers we sent inside would explode on arrival?" Peggy chuckled as if she found the oversight amusing. "It shouldn't happen again; we're confident that we've corrected the problem. Since then we've had a clean record for six years running!"

Kenzi chimed in: "Whoa, slow your roll, bitch. People _exploded_?!" The young girl alternated between sending worried looks at Bo and glaring at Dyson accusingly.

Bo was speechless at the news. She'd worried about the dangers waiting for her in the Congolese jungle, but she'd never considered the harm that could befall her on the trip itself. If this was indeed the quickest and most reliable way of getting there, as Lachlan promised, then it couldn't be that risky, could it? Or was this all an elaborate plan to finally get Bo out of his hair and keep Lauren in servitude? If he wanted Bo dead, surely he'd think of a simpler way of doing it (and something with a more certain outcome). As an assassination attempt, it was too lame to take seriously, though it didn't alleviate Bo's fears of spontaneously combusting the moment she arrived in the Congo.

Peggy said: "We hired a team of gnomes, who spent a year identifying the edges of the protective barrier. They are the foremost experts on protective spells and have assured us that as long as we keep travelers outside the barrier, they will arrive safely."

Bo turned to look at Kenzi, who was still as worried as ever. Bo still wanted to tend to her mission, but she understandably wanted to arrive in one piece. She glanced to Dyson, who gave her a single nod. He didn't seem worried about the possibility of blowing up, an oddly comforting fact as this was a Light Fae travel agency and he would have likely used their services before.

"All right," Bo conceded. Kenzi's face was thunderstruck at the announcement.

"Excellent!" Peggy beamed. "Now I need you to take this." She held out a tiny brown leather pouch that was no bigger than Bo's hand.

"What is it?"

"It's your return token. When both of you are ready to come back, just take it out, place it in your bare palm, and squeeze it until you're back here again. Both you and your guest will be transported simultaneously."

It sounded simple enough. Bo shoved the pouch into her jacket pocket along with the shurikens for safekeeping.

"Is that it?" Bo asked with a frown.

"Will you be taking any carry-on bags with you on your trip?"

Bo glanced wistfully at the huge bag draped over Kenzi's shoulder — the one that apparently would _not_ be joining her on the mission. "No."

"Then that's it. I will send you when you are ready."

Kenzi was still shaken at the possibility that she could lose her best friend. She'd never once doubted Bo's combat skills, and when Bo voiced her insecurities earlier this morning, Kenzi had relayed all the confidence in the world that she would return without a single scratch on her body. But the risk she'd be taking by traveling was one that Kenzi was less comfortable with. Bo couldn't fight back then. Kenzi had faith in Bo's abilities, but had serious doubts about things beyond her control. Bo gave her an apologetic look when she turned around.

"No, no, no…" Kenzi held a hand up to stop the words she was certain Bo was about to say. "Bo, I swear on Merlin's left nut, if you say 'goodbye' to me, I will kill you right here, right now." It wasn't as if she didn't have the means. More than half their weapons collection was hanging from her back.

"Okay," Bo said.

She didn't want a goodbye either, and she stepped toward her best friend to pull her into a warm hug. Kenzi squeezed her back hard. She wouldn't let just anyone see her cry, Bo knew, but if they'd been alone, Kenzi might have let a tear or two fall. Her hug said everything her mouth couldn't; _I love you. I'll be here for you when you get back._ Bo gave her one last squeeze in return, and pulled away with a forced smile.

"I'll see you later," Bo said, avoiding the dreaded g-word.

"You bet your ass you will," Kenzi grinned. "And you, wolfboy!" The warmth in her eyes vanished instantly as she glared at the shifter across the room.

"Yes, Kenzi?"

The young girl marched over to him determinedly. Bo was half-expecting her best friend to slap him, judging by the thunderous expression on her face, but she didn't. She stood as tall as she possibly could with the help of her high-heeled leather boots, though she still couldn't match the shifter's height. Kenzi's intensity made her seem more imposing despite her small physical presence, and Dyson's eyebrows raised in surprise.

Kenzi said: "If anything happens to her, I will murder you and bury your corpse so deep that even the dinosaurs will be jealous. You got it?"

"Yes ma'am." The corner of his mouth twitched, almost like he was suppressing a smile. That only pissed Kenzi off more.

"You think I'm joking? Where's your sword, flea bag?"

Dyson glanced to his hand, which had been grasping a machete moments before. It was empty now, and it was Kenzi that was twirling the blade with her nimble fingers. She directed the point at Dyson's crotch threateningly, ending the wolf's amusement.

"Kenzi…"

"I'm dead serious, Dyson. If she gets hurt, I'm starting here." She waved the incredibly sharp blade around a bit, getting dangerously close to cutting his genitals. Dyson held his breath and looked on in sheer terror.

"Point taken." Dyson's words were barely a whisper, but they were audible even to Bo, who was standing across the room.

Kenzi pulled the blade away and handed it back to the shifter innocently. "Good. Now go."

Dyson's bravado was hardly ever extinguished, and Bo was certain there had never been a time when it had been done by a human. He looked defeated as he shuffled toward Bo, almost like a puppy who'd just had his nose smacked with a newspaper.

"Are you ready?" Peggy asked.

Bo glanced to Kenzi, giving her a reassuring smile. "We're ready," she answered.

Peggy beamed. "Excellent. On behalf of the crew here at Fae Travel Enterprises, good luck, and we hope you enjoy your visit!" The woman began walking away, leaving Bo, Dyson, and Kenzi alone in the lobby.

"Wait!" Bo called after her. "You're supposed to —"

Bo's words were stopped in her mouth. The floor felt like it felt out from underneath her, like she was weightless almost, but without the pleasant side effect of zero gravity. The pressure on her body felt like it was being propelled through the air at a million miles an hour, and the very air around her seemed to blur. It was easily a thousand times worse than the scariest roller coaster she'd ever been on. There was a fleeting moment when Bo was convinced she was going to hit something and die — how could she be moving so fast and _not_ strike anything around her? If there had been adequate time to draw in a breath, Bo might have even mustered a scream. In reality though, the terrifying experience lasted perhaps a second. When the feeling of being hurdled through the air stopped, Bo finally opened her eyes. Her heart was beating harder than it had her entire life, and her breaths were coming in quick, panicked gasps.

It was terribly dark outside. Bo's vision was mostly obstructed, but she could tell by the uncomfortable warmth and the dampness in the air where they were. It felt like her steamy bathroom after she'd enjoyed a long, hot shower. If not for the sounds of loud insects, she might have believed she was there. She wasn't though. She could hear Dyson's rapid breathing beside her, and her feet were sinking into the soft, muddy ground below.

They'd officially arrived in the Congo.

* * *

><p><em><strong> Author's notes:<strong> Thank you all for the messages and well wishes. I'm feeling much, much better now. So well, in fact, that I will be working 65-70 hour weeks for the next four weeks. Updates will still come on all my stories (honestly, I'm too anal-retentive to leave any of them unfinished), but understand that depending on my schedule, I will be limited in how much time I can devote to writing. I hope you all enjoy! Take care._


	2. Welcome to the Jungle

"Dyson?" Bo whispered, as if someone might overhear her. The clicking from the various bugs grew louder at the sound of her voice. She kind of wished she hadn't said anything.

"I'm right here." Dyson answered in his normal voice. He didn't seem all that upset by their six and eight-legged company.

After the harsh fluorescent lighting at the travel agency, it took a moment for Bo's eyes to adjust to the new dark environment. Eventually the faint outline of Dyson came into view at her left side, several feet away. They were separated by thick green shrubs that appeared to be surrounding them and eating their feet.

"Why is it so dark over here?!" Bo hissed in frustration.

"There are a lot of trees overhead, for one thing," Dyson pointed above their heads, where the leaves were completely obscuring the sky. "And there's also a time difference over here. The sun is about to go down, so it's only going to get darker."

"And why the hell would Lachlan send us here at nighttime?!"

"To avoid the Mbumba Luangu," Dyson said matter-of-factly. "It's the most dangerous underfae we could possibly run into. Thankfully, I haven't had the misfortune of coming across it before, but it only comes out of hiding in the daytime. It would be safer to travel at night."

"Muh-boomah Loo-goo?" Bo frowned at the way the obviously mispronounced words rolled off her tongue. "Should I even bother asking what that is?"

"Not if you want to sleep at all while you're here. But I _will_ say that if you happen to see a rainbow in someplace that doesn't seem quite right… I do suggest you run in the other direction as fast as you can."

"Duly noted." It was an odd enough statement for Bo to easily commit to memory. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to put the information to use, whatever it meant. "So where in the hell are we anyway? I memorized that entire damned map—a lot of good it did, since I can't see shit out here."

There was silence as Dyson listened intently to their surroundings. Bo couldn't hear anything other than the buzzing and incessant clicking noises from the horrible bugs surrounding them. They were starting to acclimate to her presence and slowly started making their way into her personal bubble. Bo had to slap several of them away from her in quick succession as they attempted to crawl over her neck and face. Dyson took a few more quick sniffs, testing the air for some smell undetectable to Bo's nose.

"The riverbank isn't too far ahead of us—maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. You can just hear it if you listen closely. I can already smell it from here."

Bo didn't even bother asking how he could smell a body of water. The idea seemed ridiculous to her, as did the suggestion that he could hear the sound of water over the cacophony of insects around them. She was just happy that they could begin the search for Tshombe and had at least a reasonable idea of where to start the journey. It beat wandering through the jungle aimlessly for several days. Dyson pulled out his flashlight and started trudging forward through the brush.

"Stop!" Bo called after him. He halted, turning back to give her a confused look. "I'm leading us, remember? You're my backup, so give me the flashlight."

Dyson hesitated, but he eventually relinquished the flashlight at Bo's reminder. He was used to being in charge, Bo knew. If she hadn't reminded him, he would have been happy to lead them on the quest for Tshombe, and that would have nullified it. Dyson's participation wasn't a selfless act of love like Bo's was.

The narrow beam of light did little to illuminate the path in front of them. Bo was still regularly stumbling over the vines and brush covering the ground, and no matter how many times she slashed away the branches impeding her path, more seemed to fall into their place. Fifteen minutes might have been optimistic on Dyson's part, Bo realized. The wolf continued following wordlessly behind her. With his enhanced nighttime eyesight, he was having an easier time avoiding the plants Bo was struggling with. Other than the occasional whoosh of his blade through the air and the sound of slicing branches, his passage was largely silent.

Bo had no way of telling time in the darkness, but it felt more like the journey to the riverbank took closer to an hour. A healthy sheen of sweat was covering Bo's entire body despite her wise decision to wear breathable clothing. Kenzi originally suggested she wear leather pants. Bo was glad she ignored that advice. The sound of the rushing river was growing louder, and shortly it would come within range of her flashlight. After that, it was a matter of following the river east until it became passable. If their current pace was any indication, that could take a long, long time.

Hopefully neither Kenzi nor Lauren would get too worried about her. So far the trek had gone smoothly, and if the rest of it was more of the same, the worst threat Bo would have to face would be heat stroke and dehydration.

"Did you even bother telling Ciara you were leaving?" Bo asked Dyson, panting as she slashed away another branch from her path..

She'd taken the morning to visit Lauren, and Kenzi knew everything that went on in her life. Those were the only people that Bo felt like she needed to tell. It would have only been appropriate for Dyson to tell his new girlfriend. It was some time before he answered.

"I didn't think it would be a good idea," he said. "She already suspects that there was something between us… I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be too happy to hear that I was going on a trip with you."

His explanation annoyed Bo for some reason. Of course Ciara would begin to suspect some nefarious relationship between the two of them if Dyson kept sneaking around and deliberately keeping the truth from her all the time.

"If you were worried about that, then why did you volunteer in the first place?"

Dyson seemed to consider this for a moment and didn't answer right away. "Two reasons, I guess. For one, I wanted to make sure you were safe." He couldn't possibly see how Bo rolled her eyes after that statement. "Secondly, I think it's the right thing to do."

Bo wasn't expecting that. During her momentary lapse in attention, her foot caught on a root while she was stepping forward, and she nearly fell flat on her face. "What?" she asked once she'd recovered her balance.

"I knew Lauren had a deal with the Ash, but I didn't know what it was. When I heard…" He trailed off for a moment. "You have to understand, Bo. The Ash before Lachlan had been this clan's leader for over two centuries. The Light Fae gained so much influence under his tenure, and he was revered for that. Never in any of my fifteen hundred years would I have imagined him capable of making such an underhanded deal."

Bo scoffed loudly. "Huh. For being so old, you're pretty naive then."

"Because I believed that our clan's most respected leaders was an honest person? It wasn't just me. _Everyone_ thought he was an honorable man. Before now, I didn't have any reason to think of him any differently."

"Well, now you do," Bo countered. "Anybody who thinks it's okay to _own_ another person—even if they like to call it 'protection'—will never be an honorable person."

Much to Dyson's credit, he didn't argue Bo's point. The dense trees begin to thin out ahead of them, and the rushing water grew considerably louder. Before Bo broke into the clearing along the riverbank, she turned back to Dyson.

"You need to talk to Ciara," Bo said. "We're not together—not _going_ to be together ever again. But if you still want to be friends, you can't let your girlfriend believe you're off cheating on her every chance you get. And you can't just _not_ tell her that you're leaving to risk your life for me either. That isn't fair to her."

Dyson hesitated for a moment. "Fine, I'll talk to her."

"I'm serious, Dyson."

"I promise."

Bo would have to trust that promise. She and Dyson were already crystal clear on the status of their relationship now. Ciara seemed nice enough. Bo didn't necessarily dislike her, but she got the feeling that Ciara was wary of her, and that was solely Dyson's fault. If he wanted to date Ciara and retain Bo's friendship, he would have to address their past with Ciara all by himself. Once he did that, Bo wouldn't mind having another Fae friend, even one who was currently dating her ex. They might actually enjoy one another's company one day.

Bo emerged from the forest's edge a moment later, and the mist from the rapids was already dampening her face. There was a narrow strip of rock along the river's edge which contained the massive body of water, and it highlighted their path uphill. Due to the rough waters and the width of the river, they had to wait before crossing, traveling about thirty miles total upstream before the terrain evened out and the river's flow slowed somewhat. Crossing now would be a suicide mission with the water breaking hard over the jagged rocks. If they didn't get washed away or drown immediately, there were always broken bones to worry about. Bo was determined to not rely on Dyson for healing on this mission, so she wanted to be extra cautious when it was possible.

"How long do you think it's going to take to get to the crossing point?" Bo asked.

"Going uphill on this uneven ground in the dark is going to be slower than traveling in the daytime, despite it being safer," Dyson said. "If we're lucky, we could cover fifteen or twenty miles per night."

That meant the entire mission could take two to three days, barring any accidents or delays. In the middle of this huge river, there was a long strip of land that was essentially an island, flanked on either side by exactly one of the river branches. When Lachlan described the protected zone's location, this island was at the epicenter of it, and Bo suspected this was where Tshombe would be hiding. The river would then serve as an extra layer of protection for him while he hid away in the jungle. _Just like the coward he was_, Bo thought angrily.

Bo used the back of her hand to wipe the spray from her face and started climbing the rock trail upward. It did little good; within seconds, the spray had her face soaked all over again. At some point, she finally gave up the effort to keep her face clear of water and simply let it pour down her face, and not long after, her entire body was soaked with a combination of sweat and fresh water from the river. It wasn't even a pleasant spray. Bo had taken showers using water cooler than the mist hitting her body. The humid environment caused Bo to tire quickly, but she pressed onward, keeping her ultimate goal at the forefront of her thoughts.

The pair traveled almost ten miles in absolute silence, by Bo's estimate when she heard the first hissing by the river. She initially dismissed it as a trick her ears were playing on her, perhaps some sound from the water next to her rushing over a new, abnormal surface. Eventually, it grew too loud to ignore.

"What the hell _is_ that?!" Bo asked.

"It's the anansi," Dyson answered. When Bo stopped in her tracks waiting for his explanation, he continued: "They're the devolved underfae relatives of the West African spider god of the same name. Very dangerous if confronted. They've only been tolerated by villagers this long because their poison is so highly potent and coveted."

At the mention of Bo's least favorite life form, a chill passed through her body. "S-spiders?" she asked uneasily. Goosebumps rose across her skin despite the heat outside.

"Yep, An anansi is a really big, really hairy spider."

Bo swallowed thickly and clenched her eyes shut. "Oh my god, oh my god…" she whispered—apparently loud enough for Dyson's keen ears to pick up.

"Don't tell me that the biggest, baddest succubus around is afraid of something like a spider." The amusement was evident in his voice. On any other occasion, that would have pissed Bo off, but she was still preoccupied with the threat of the big, hairy, and poisonous monstrosity waiting for her just beyond the riverbank. "Honestly Bo, what do you do at your place when there's a spider around? Other than the Djieiene, I don't think you or Kenzi have ever bothered killing one."

"Lauren handles the spiders!" Bo exclaimed, her growing distress evident in her tone.

"Look, it'll be fine. There are a few of them that have been following us for the past couple of miles, but they're not going to attack unless we provoke them. They react strongly to light, so you shouldn't—"

It was too late. Bo barely had time to register his warning to not shine the flashlight in their direction. At the first mention of spiders following them, Bo directed her beam behind them, where the group was waiting. What seemed like hundreds of eyes stared back at her in the darkness, their white eyes reflecting the light. The sharp hissing suddenly escalated into a roar, easily overwhelming the loud river next to them.

"Dyson…" Bo managed to choke out.

He might have teased her about being afraid of spiders before, but Bo could tell that even he was fearful now. His voice was tense when he said, "Bo, we need to run. Now!"

Bo didn't need to be told twice. Dyson took off at a sprint toward the tree line a few feet away, and Bo followed, kicking herself when she chanced a look behind her. She hadn't seen anything but their eyes initially, but now she understood why they were able to make so much noise. They were easily four feet tall, with long legs spreading out about six feet. The sight gave Bo an extra shot of adrenaline, and she pushed harder and faster against the burning in her thighs, making every effort to keep her strides as high as possible to avoid tripping on the underbrush. Bo felt a tug as something grabbed the tail of her jacket, and she realized with a wave of horror, that one of the beasts had it entrapped in its pincers. She yanked it free, causing the leather to slice in two. Every few strides, Dyson was swinging his blade wildly behind him to fend off the angry spiders.

It was difficult terrain, but she soon saw the wisdom in the Dyson's tactic. With their eight long legs, the spiders covered the uneven ground faster than they could run over it, but as the jungle's trees grew more dense, their size began to work against them. They could no longer squeeze through the tiny gaps between the trees, and the greenery acted like a filter letting the relatively narrower forms of Bo and Dyson through but trapping the spiders behind it. As they kept running, the loud hissing faded into nothing, and soon Bo was certain they were all gone she slowed her pace back to a walk. Dyson was still busy ducking and weaving between trunks and branches.

"I think we lost them, Dyson," Bo called out through her rapid breaths. There was a sharp stitch in her side now that she'd stopped, and she clutched at it to alleviate some of the pain.

Dyson slowed as well, and after a few sniffs, his pace returned to a walk as well.

"Did you get any bites?" he asked.

"One got my jacket, but I'm fine."

"Let me see."

Bo shrugged out of her jacket, examining the tear for the first time. While she'd been running, the back had been loosely flowing behind her, and it was that bit of leather that was most easily grabbed. Bo cringed when she noticed what could only be described as slime coating the edges of torn leather. She moved to wipe it off, but Dyson stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"No, wait…" he said.

Bo was confused, but she didn't argue. In a rather bold display, the shifter suddenly reached to her outer thigh. Bo was ready to protest the invasion of her personal space, but in one smooth movement, he unsheathed the dagger strapped to her leg and was wiping the slime off on the blade.

"It's anansi poison," Dyson explained. "A single drop could kill an elephant in three seconds flat. No sense wasting it—you never know when you might need it later."

Once Dyson applied a thin coat of the slime on Bo's blade, she officially was officially holding the deadliest human weapon in the jungle. She only had take care not to accidentally nick her own skin with the blade.

"We can't go back that way now. Those _things_ are still waiting for us," Bo said.

"No we can't. They're still around—I can smell them."

"How are we supposed to travel then?"

"We don't. We wait it out. Eventually, the anansi that chased us will give up and hunt elsewhere, then they'll climb back into their nests. Until then, we stay here and lay low. We can try again tomorrow night."

Bo didn't particularly like that suggestion. They'd been traveling over half the night, but with dawn approaching in a few hours, Bo suspected they could cover another five miles. Every second they wasted standing here in the jungle was a second that Kenzi and Lauren were at home worrying for her safety.

"Bullshit. There has to be another way."

"What—do you think we should just go gallivanting out here—no visibility, no landmarks, and no idea of what could be stalking us at any minute?"

Don't tell me that the biggest, baddest wolf around is afraid of the dark?" Bo grinned evilly, enjoying the turnabout in wordplay.

She also knew Dyson would never back down from a direct challenge, however foolish it might be. He was far too proud for that. Just as she suspected, his reaction didn't disappoint.

"Fine, we can go." The irritation in his voice was easily discernible. "Just _try_ to stay in a straight line please. That's all we need is to end up lost deep in the jungle with no point of reference to navigate from."

Bo gave him a mock salute and practically skipped away. The terrain was more difficult this way. In addition to climbing the steady uphill slope, she was still fighting through all kinds of vines. Dyson was even less fortunate, his tall body and larger frame catching on nearly everything in sight. Even though they were both hacking at the obstructions relentlessly, more vines always seemed to fall down into place as soon as the others hit the forest floor.

Bo remembered the gentle curvature of the river and compensated by slowly shifting her path to the left. The steady motions of swipe, swipe, then slash became automatic, and she continued relentlessly destroying the vines in front of her. Her rhythm was only interrupted when her blade caught on one of the vines that stubbornly wouldn't cut. Bo pulled hard at her long blade to free it, to no avail.

"What the hell?" Bo muttered to herself. The machete only seemed to become more ensnared in the tangle of vines the more she tried yanking it free, and even applying the force of her own body weight failed to dislodge it.

"Something wrong?" Dyson asked.

"My sword is stuck."

"Push it in, twist it hard, and then pull back…That usually helps."

Bo did exactly as Dyson said, only when she pushed the sword forward, the rough vines landed around her wrist.

_And they were undeniably moving. _That was _not_ normal. Bo's sense of urgency raised tenfold.

Much like with her sword, the more Bo struggled to free her wrist, the more tightly the tendrils wrapped around her wrist, restricting her movements and causing urgency to raise into full on panic—panic which only amplified once the vines began crawling up her arm with alarming speed.

"Arrgh!" Bo cried out.

This caught Dyson's attention, and he hurried over as quickly as possible to help. "What—" he started to ask, but one he saw The way Bo's arm was trapped, no question was necessary. He instantly swung his machete blade upward with all the force his body could muster. After the unusual bout of strength, his blade sliced through the thick bundle of vines easily, and the ropes ascending Bo's arm stilled after being severed from their attachments.

There would be no time to dwell on Bo's momentary freedom. Within a second of freeing Bo, Dyson's ankle had been claimed by the frighteningly intelligent vines. They responded more quickly this time, climbing Dyson's leg in an instant.

"Get it, Bo!" Dyson called out.

By this time, Bo knew that she had to quickly cut away the vines before they overtook Dyson's body. Just as the wolf had done seconds previously, Bo leapt to his side and swung with all her might at the vines threatening to overwhelm him. They stilled after her stroke, and Bo grabbed Dyson's forearm, pulling him after her furiously.

"Let's go!" Bo said. Dyson nodded and followed her.

The rustling in the trees and along the bushes on the ground clued Bo into the possibility that there were more vines potentially following them in the jungle. This time they wouldn't have the advantage of being able to outrun the vines using the jungle's natural landscape. She and Dyson were now strictly at a disadvantage, and the moment they stopped, they would be attacked again.

Bo faltered at a loud crash behind her, turning to see Dyson's large figure sprawled out along the forest floor. The vines had been following closely, and one of them had finally caught him and tripped him up. Just as before, it started climbing his leg, though in his position, he could not get in an advantageous position to swing his sword. His situation grew even more dire when a vine trapped his sword hand and ascended toward his neck.

Whatever these vines were, Bo was certain they had to be capable of thinking. How else would they know to aim for Dyson's chest and his neck? Bo rushed back toward him to help, but soon her legs were also caught in the vine trap, and her sword was lodged in the tangled mess at Dyson's side. She managed to stay upright, sparing her throat from attack, but Dyson wasn't so lucky. The vines were now fully encircling his neck and cutting off his air supply. His eyes grew wide, and his face turned red as his precious seconds remaining ticked away. It was the terrified look of a man who knew he was about to die.

_I'm not going to die at the hands of an overgrown houseplant_, Bo thought defiantly.

The rage in her body turned her eyes an ethereal blue, and an intense focus took over her body. In this state she was all but invincible, and using her heightened senses, she searched for a way to save herself and her friend, whose face was now a deep shade of purple and whose eyes were beginning to droop as he slipped into unconsciousness.

If this _thing_ was capable of thinking, surely it had to have a brain. The vines were growing from somewhere, Bo was sure. Her bright blue eyes raked quickly through the trees and along the ground, searching for some sort of possible target. Then she saw it: The closest thing Bo could compare it to was a flower, but it was ugly and faintly orange in the darkness. The petals opened and closed, alternately exposing and shielding its center—almost like it was _laughing_ at her. At that moment, Bo knew she'd found her mark. Just in time, too—the vines had reached her stomach and were still progressing upward.

With no machete available, and her thigh dagger lost in the tangle of vines on her leg, Bo reached for the last items she had left: the shurikens tucked away in her jacket pocket. Normally, Bo would have fretted over making an accurate throw, but blue-eyed Bo didn't have such doubts, even from this considerable distance. She and Kenzi always practiced within the confines of their living room, and now her target was easily fifty feet away (if not more). With her senses heightened and her strength tripled, she reached back and let the sharpened throwing star fly. It whizzed through the air on a straight line and found it's mark, sinking deep into the giant flower's soft center.

Bo wasn't left questioning long whether or not her plan worked. The pressure from the vines squeezing hard around her legs and body immediately lessened, like they'd received a shock. The petals from the flower began to open and close frantically after it had been hit, and eventually they retracted completely behind a covering of green leaves, leaving nothing but a harmless bud behind. The vines around her legs twitched feebly for several seconds and then became completely still. Once Bo's inner succubus was certain that the threat was over, her bright blue eyes faded back to their usual brown. Save for the occasional noises from the more benign insects in the jungle—a welcome sound to Bo's ears now—all was quiet. She quickly extricated herself from the now lifeless tangle hanging from her lower body and ran toward Dyson, who'd finally passed out, tearing apart the vines that were still constricting his neck.

He didn't start breathing again.

Bo didn't have the slightest clue how to give first aid in this situation. She'd seen CPR given on television shows before, but that seemed terribly inadequate now. After the appearance of her blue-eyed monster, Bo's body was running on its chi reserves, and she didn't have much to spare. There was no safe alternative though. She leaned down and gave Dyson her chi—small, short bursts of it—while waiting for him to wake up. After three cycles, the shifter finally inhaled a breath on his own. It sounded like a death rattle, but after a couple of minutes passed, his strained breathing became more regular and his eyes drifted open.

"Am I dead?" Dyson groaned. The sound brought a rush of relief to Bo, who smiled tiredly at him. The chi she gave up left her hungry, but seeing her friend alive and awake was worth it.

"Not yet—not for lack of trying, though."

Now that the vines weren't attacking, it was easy to pull Dyson free from the rest of his bonds. He was still incredibly weak from the close brush with death, and Bo had to help him considerably. Unless he regained some of his strength, there was no way he'd be able to make the full journey. In this condition, he was no longer an asset. He was a liability. Dyson seemed to sense this.

"You can't stay here too much longer," he said. "The sun is going to be up soon, and you need to take cover."

"Can you make it back to the river? There's a place to rest not far from where we were." Bo distinctly remembered the rock overhang from the map but couldn't even begin to pronounce its real name. If she was correct, it would be well separated from the forest and allow them to sleep the rest of the day.

Dyson tried to push himself upright, but his arms and legs were shaking terribly. He stumbled back to the ground before he managed to stand and let out a defeated sigh.

He said: "I can't make it. You go on without me. I won't have you staying out here during the day for me—it's too dangerous."

Bo rolled her eyes at him. "You're such a dumbass."

"I won't make it, Bo!"

Bo really didn't give Dyson much of a choice. She grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet roughly, slinging his entire arm over her shoulder. Since he wasn't able to support much of his own weight, most of it fell on Bo, but she remained steady underneath the burden. She started walking determinedly back the way they entered the jungle, and Dyson wisely didn't protest any further.

After a while, Bo started to regret her decision. Dyson was _heavy_, and though it was no fault of his own, she was having to support most of his weight. The shifter cooperated by moving his feet in a walking motion, but Bo was still breathing hard before she was even halfway back. By the time she reached the river, she was gasping for air and on the verge of collapse. She was just in time, too. The sky had lightened to a dark gray, the first signs of the impending sunrise. With some creative footwork, she climbed underneath the rocky shelter, pulling Dyson behind her.

It was essentially a shallow cave at the river's edge. They could barely escape the familiar mist at the back, but that was the driest spot inside. The end closest to the opening at the river's edge was like sitting in a rainstorm, so both Bo and Dyson collapsed in exhausted heaps against the back wall. Neither of them looked particularly well now.

"You shouldn't have done that, Bo. The more you wear yourself down, the more likely it is that you'll need to feed," Dyson said. "I don't think I need to spell it out for you, but your options are pretty limited at the moment."

"You know, you could try just saying 'thank you.' That works too."

"Thank you for saving my life," Dyson conceded, and from his tone, Bo could tell that he meant it.

"You're welcome. Don't worry about my feeding, though. I've got everything under control."

"I don't doubt it. It's just… No matter what happens, I'm always going to worry about you, you know?"

"And I'll always be there to remind you that I can take care of myself," Bo said with a grin. "Really, Dyson. It's okay. A little sleep, and I'll be as good as new."

Bo honestly believed that sleep would cure most of her current ailments, but a quick glance around her brought a new round of doubts. The rocky surface they were sitting on wouldn't make a very comfortable bed, and it would be difficult for both of them to stretch out horizontally and avoid getting soaked. They were confined to the cramped rear of the cave, huddled next to each other, each coming to the same conclusion regarding their sleeping arrangements.

"Here." Dyson leaned away and held out his arm, gesturing for Bo to lean into his body. Bo raised an eyebrow at him. "Look, you're more than welcome to sleep in the giant puddle over there, but if you want to stay even a little bit dry, we're going to have to stay close."

Bo hesitated. There was one particular body she longed to sleep next to, but his wasn't it. She could either sleep leaning against him, or she could sleep with her back against the hard rock. Dyson was a friend—and it seemed silly to suffer a sore back to prove a point she'd already reiterated countless times already—so Bo finally accepted his offer. It ended up being a comfortable arrangement for both of them. While Bo leaned into Dyson's body, the wolf rested his head against Bo's, using it like a pillow. The steady rush of the water outside was oddly soothing now, and Bo's thoughts drifted back home. She lost all track of time.

"What's on your mind?" Dyson asked after some time.

There was a dark shadow obscuring the back of the cave where they sat, but the sky outside was noticeably lightening. Dawn would be upon them in less than half an hour.

"What happens… when I get back," Bo said. She still had no qualms about her mission, but the closer she got to the goal, the more often worrisome thoughts crept into her mind.

Dyson didn't say anything for some time, so long that Bo was convinced he wouldn't reply at all. The hum of the river, combined with the exhaustion of Bo's body, was lulling her to a deep sleep.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Dyson said in a tired voice. "Anybody with two working eyes can see that Lauren loves you."

That got Bo's attention. Neither she nor Lauren had ever uttered an "I love you" to the other yet. For Bo, it wasn't because she doubted her own feelings. It just never felt like the right time. And if she was being honest with herself, she worried that Lauren might not feel exactly the same way, at least now that Nadia was inching back into the picture. That would be the absolute worst. So instead, Bo kept the depth of her feelings to herself, which she would continue to do with Nadia's impending return.

But according to Dyson, practically anyone could see that Lauren loved her. The prospect was exciting and felt too good to be true.

"Really?" Bo asked.

"One hundred percent positive—at least as much as you love her." The shifter took in a huge breath, the biggest he'd taken since nearly suffocating earlier. His body slackened against the back of the cave as he prepared to drift off to sleep. "I'm honestly surprised she hasn't told you yet."

Bo shrugged. "There never seems to be a good time for us."

"Hmm."

After a few minutes, Dyson's breaths became slow and regular, and Bo knew he was asleep. But despite Bo's weariness, sleep didn't claim her easily. Dyson's words were incessantly playing in her head, and Bo clung to them like her life depended on it. Bo already knew that she loved Lauren.

But now… Lauren loved _her_.

A goofy smile stayed in place even as Bo drifted off to sleep. She was certain that her dreams would be pleasant tonight despite the horrors that were waiting for her just outside the cave's protective shelter.

* * *

><p>Bo's anxiety increased the closer she got to her destination. The past two nights had been sheer hell. Dyson had to wolf out to locate a source of drinkable water, and when Bo found some bizarre looking fruit that neither of them had seen before (Bo thought it looked like some mixture of dragon fruit and a banana), Dyson insisted on using his keen nose to determine whether or not it was poisonous. At that point in time, Bo didn't care much if it was. She was so hungry that it was only a few hours longer before she caved and started eating her own foot.<p>

The weird fruit, which Bo aptly started calling a "dragon banana," was a little too tangy for Bo's liking, but it warded off her most immediate hunger pangs, even if it left her feeling a bit weird for several hours after. Her entire body felt a little fuzzy (Bo couldn't think of another word to adequately describe it), and when Dyson reported the same, Bo deduced that the dragon bananas must have caused it. But within a few hours, they were back to feeling like their old selves. Bo would accept that. Unless she and Dyson wanted to waste time mounting a formal hunting expedition, their food options were scarce, and if a few hours of feeling off-kilter was all she had to endure to keep herself from passing out due to hunger, she would eat them exclusively. There didn't seem to be any shortage of the bizarre fruit around. What Bo still wanted more than anything now was a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake. That's the first thing Bo and Kenzi would do upon her return, she decided—right after she took a couple of showers to wash the sweat and grime from her skin and changed into a clean, dry set of clothes.

In addition to the struggles against hunger and thirst, Bo and Dyson also faced multiple new foes on their journey. Bo was thankful there were no more anansi in their path, but she was forced to fight off horde of pixies single-handedly. Dyson would have helped if not for the leopard he was scuffling with at the same time. Bo eventually defeated the pixies, only sustaining a few cuts on her face from their razor-like claws, and Dyson hurled the leopard into the river, where it was swiftly washed away by the rapids. Not even an hour later, both of them were came face to face with one of the lawless tribes Lachlan described. They didn't speak the same language, and when Bo tried to impress upon them that she meant no harm, they clearly perceived her as a threat and attacked with spears and knives. Nobody died in the ensuing melee thankfully—only minor injuries—but Bo and Dyson just barely got away unscathed. There wasn't a moment during the past two nights when Bo felt at ease in the jungle, though by her estimates, she and Dyson would be arriving to their destination shortly.

What bothered Bo now was the river. The ground had mercifully leveled out, so she was no longer having to climb steeply uphill. According to the maps, this was should have also been where the rapids slowed into essentially a gently flowing stream. No such luck, however. The waters were just as violent as ever, and it would take a miracle to cross in this state. Bo couldn't fathom how the river was still flowing this quickly. Miles downstream, where the ground tilted sharply down, gravity easily explained the river's speed, but there was no explanation for rapids occurring over even ground. Dyson's frown indicated that he found the situation just as suspicious. According to Bo's reckoning, they were less than half a mile from the crossing point. She could see the far shore on the other side—their target on this journey—but there were no signs that the water slowed at all ahead of them.

"According to those maps you gave me, we should have gotten past the rapids ten miles ago," Bo lamented to the shifter, who was still tagging along behind her. "Are you sure they were right? Where did you get them?"

Dyson answered: "They're official documents from the Light Fae archives—guaranteed accuracy. The maps are right, but there's something else going on here…"

"Let me guess… something Fae?"

When the sound of Dyson's footsteps halted behind her, Bo stopped as well. His eyes were a wolfish yellow, and he glanced at the water suspiciously. Bo was about to ask what he was thinking, but his actions explained well enough. While crouching at the river's edge, he ran his fingertips through the water for several long minutes.

"Water spirits," he said softly, barely audible over the rushing river. "Their magic is agitating the water. It's odd though… They usually prefer waterfalls, not still rivers. There's no reason for them to be here."

"Of course there is."

Dyson frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Judging from the look Bo got in return, apparently is wasn't that obvious. "They're protecting the island," Bo explained. "They were summoned here. You said it yourself: they'd prefer the waterfalls. Why else would they be here?"

"I suppose that could be it. But it doesn't change our plan. We still can't cross here, obviously. We should keep going until we get to a clearing."

"That would be a complete waste of time, Dyson. Think about it—if these water spirits were brought here to keep us out, what's to stop them from following us? We'd be running around here in circles forever waiting to cross this river. If we're going to cross, we might as well do it now!"

"That's suicide, Bo!"

There had to be a way to defeat them, Bo was certain. Her experience with water spirits was sparse, however, and she needed to learn what exactly she was up against.

"How do we beat them?" Bo asked.

"You don't," Dyson said, shaking his head. "They don't have a corporeal form that you can attack. The only way to appeal to spirits is to offer them something they want, and more often than not, they seek out more power, something that we don't have the ability to give. Since we have nothing to offer, they attack the moment we enter their territory."

"How do they attack if they don't have a 'corporeal form'?"

"They act through the water itself to try and kill you. If it looks bad now, imagine it getting ten times worse the second you stepped across."

Bo could swim, but swimming wouldn't be of much use if she was slammed over a bed of jagged rocks. If she could maintain her footing on the slick surface, she could basically walk across the waist-high waters. That would be the challenge, however. With a wall of water pushing against her—and the promise of much stronger waves coming—Bo would be hard pressed to make it across unscathed. Once she was knocked down, her body would be at the mercy of the currents, and all she could do was try to keep her head above the surface and hope she didn't hit a boulder. There was no way of avoiding this risk now. If Tshombe "hired" the water spirits to protect his island, they would have to face them eventually… at least if she wanted to attain Lauren's freedom.

And that was the whole point, wasn't it? Bo knew this quest would be dangerous. She'd taken the risk because Lauren deserved her freedom—and Bo loved Lauren. There were no lingering doubts about those feelings.

"I'm going across," Bo said with renewed determination. Dyson was about to agrue, but Bo cut him off. "I know the risks, and I'm willing to take them. But I know you didn't sign up for this, Dyson. You agreed to help me through the jungle, and you've done that. If you want to sit this one out, I wouldn't hold it against you."

Dyson had worked alongside Bo long enough to know he wasn't going to change her mind. He let out an exaggerated side and stepped forward. "All right. You're free to go if you want. But that means I'm going with you."

"You're still a dumbass." Bo grinned at him.

Dyson shrugged. "Stupid is in my nature, remember?"

Bo sighed, eying the far shore. It was at least a hundred feet across here, though she knew this was the river's narrowest portion. Bo and Dyson both came to the same conclusion regarding the sky: dawn was only about a half hour away.

Bo said: "I guess there's no sense in waiting, right?"

"I'll be right behind you," Dyson nodded.

Bo located a ridge of rocks where the water was shallowest, hoping the shorter waves there would allow her to maintain her she placed her boot tentatively on the first stone, the pace of the flowing river grew faster. Her leather boots were ruined already from the mud, so she didn't much care that her leg was soaked up to her mid-calf. Bo stretched out her other foot to find placement for her next step, and when she did, the water rushed even faster still.

Bo continued to wade deeper across the river, with Dyson eventually joining in behind her. He had the benefit of being able to follow Bo. She was the one risking missteps; all he had to do was copy her movements exactly. Though Bo nearly lost her balance several times the deeper she waded, the water spirits didn't seem too angry about her presence.

At least, not yet.

Bo would later revise that notion. Instead, the water spirits seemed to wait for her to reach the middle of the river before they attacked, perhaps to minimize her chances of escaping to either river bank. Bo was using a wide stance to her advantage, spreading her weight over two huge rocks to stabilize herself when they struck. Their attack was hard and fast.

A wave of water as tall as a full grown man came hurling toward Bo and Dyson with alarming speed, moving even faster than the water around it. There was no warning sound, no change in the waves already hitting their thighs. Bo only saw it coming out of the corner of her eyes and was able to duck her body down to mitigate her fall. Dyson didn't see it coming at all.

Even though Bo managed to avoid the worst of the impact, the wave still hit with the impact of a swiftly moving freight train. The side of her face stung like she'd been slapped by an ogre, and the wind was knocked from her lungs by the crushing blow to her body. There was no way for Bo to keep her feet on the slick rocks after that hit. Thankfully, she didn't have very far to fall since she had the foresight to lower her body beforehand. Her machete slipped out of her hand immediately, tumbling further downstream and out of reach with each fresh wave that arrived.

For a few terrifying seconds, Bo was at the mercy of the rapids, not knowing which way was up or down or when she would be able to sneak another breath of air. She only became aware of the river's bottom when her left arm struck against the edge of a sharp rock, tearing her jacket and piercing the underlying skin deeply. Bo was no medical expert, but the wound felt like it penetrated all the way to bone. She flung her legs about wildly to push herself toward the surface and inhaled a giant gasp of air once she broke the surface.

"Dyson!" Bo called out.

There was no answer. Like Bo, the shifter surely fell when the wave hit, but he was nowhere in sight.

Bo didn't have time to look for him now, however. More violent waves kept coming, and Bo kept getting tossed about like a rag doll, floating helplessly through the river only when she wasn't getting slammed mercilessly into boulders. Though her body was battered, every thirty seconds, Bo reminded herself to fight her way to the surface for air—sometimes she was even successful—and the rest of the time she fought her way toward the far shore. Sometimes that was by swimming wildly with her one good arm, and other times it was by propelling herself forward off the river's bottom using her legs.

The closer Bo got to the far shore, the less severe the attacks were. The water grew steadily more shallow as she approached the river's edge. Once she was able, she stood up to find Dyson. Her entire body was weak and throbbing after the beating she took, the pain worsening every second she stayed upright. The cut on Bo's left arm was every bit as deep as she imagined, and now that her upper body was out of the water, she could appreciate how profusely it was bleeding. That was probably another source of her weakness.

"Dyson!" Bo called out again, louder this time.

He didn't answer for the second time. Bo frantically scanned the water, searching for any sign of her friend. The sun had finally broken across the horizon, making her search easier, but exposing them to grave dangers from underfae. Bo needed to find him quickly.

She finally spotted him a moment later. His unconscious body was still floating helplessly thirty feet from the river's edge. Bo's stomach lurched when she saw the gaping wound on his forehead. Another powerful wave buried him a moment later. Dyson's body was resilient and could take a beating well enough, but even he would have a difficult time avoiding a potential drowning while he was unconscious. Bo couldn't let him die. Not like this. She waded back into the treacherous waters automatically, struggling to keep herself upright as she fought against the raging river. When she inevitably fell down, she righted herself quickly, fighting against the pains shooting throughout her body.

It took all of Bo's might to drag the shifter's body through the rough waters. She grabbed anything she could—Dyson's arm, his torso, and even his foot once or task was difficult enough when Bo was only fighting for her own life, but with the added weight, it was nearly impossible. When Bo reached the far shore for the second time, she pulled Dyson's head above the water, resting his still body along the bank before collapsing herself on top of a boulder.

Dyson was coughing up water, which was a promising sign, in Bo's opinion. But he was still losing blood at an alarming rate, and it seemed like far too much. There was nothing she could do about it, though. A tourniquet wouldn't work for a head wound, and she wasn't qualified to attempt applying stitches (even if she had the materials). The only other solution Bo had at this point was chi, and there was simply none left to give. Bo could have used some herself to stanch the bleeding from her wound, but that would only worsen Dyson's prognosis. Feeding from her critically injured friend wasn't an option. Bo hastily pulled his belt free, wrapping it securely around her left arm and fastening it in place. The bleeding from her arm slowed, eventually coming to a full stop, while Dyson's eyes remained closed.

A flicker of light to Bo's side caught her attention. She instinctively tracked the sudden movement with her eyes. The light hitting the ground was an amazing burst of color, spanning every color Bo could possibly imagine, like a rainbow that had been twisted into a diamond shape. While she admired it, several more bursts of colorful light sprinkled the ground in quick succession. Bo's pulse quickened as she recalled Dyson's warning:

"I will say that if you happen to see a rainbow in someplace that doesn't seem quite right… I do suggest you run in the other direction as fast as you can."

Rainbows were on the ground. That seemed "not quite right" to Bo, and if the shifter was correct, that meant she was in danger from the Mbumba Luangu, a terror so awful that Dyson didn't even bother telling her about it. They'd traveled during the night specifically to avoid an encounter with this beast. Bo twisted around slowly, hoping to to escape its notice.

When she turned around, she was face to face with easily the most terrifying creature she could possibly imagine. They had been right to travel by night, if only to avoid it.

It was an enormous snake. The reflections on the ground were due to the glistening iridescent scales that cast brilliant prisms of sunlight in every direction. It might have been a beautiful sight had the creature itself not been so horrifying. Bo couldn't tell how long it was because much of its body was hidden beyond the tree line, but its body was probably at least four feet across in diameter, and in some places nearly as tall as herself, Bo realized with a lurch of her stomach. If the snake was determined, it could easily swallow Bo whole without even stretching its jaws. It watched Bo keenly, slithering slowly closer toward Bo and Dyson and sizing up its next meal. A huge forked tongue slipped in between a pair of monstrous fangs, and Bo was paralyzed with fear. That was probably fortunate. If she'd moved suddenly, the Mbumba Luangu would have pounced on her in the blink of an eye.

There was no question of escaping now. Dyson wouldn't wake—he'd be the first one dead if Bo tried to get away—but it wouldn't be long before the snake caught up to Bo, considering the extent of her injuries. If Bo instigated the snake's attack sooner, they'd both be snake food in minutes (if not seconds). She had to fight it off somehow, but that was another impossible task. Her shurikens were gone, so she would be forced into close contact if she wished to finish the thing off. She didn't even have her sword anymore after losing it in the river. The machete still seemed woefully inadequate against a foe this large, but it was her most promising weapon against the giant beast. The only item Bo had left was her thigh dagger, which wouldn't sink into the snake's flesh more than a few inches. She might as well poke it with a needle for all the damage it would do.

But then Bo remembered. Her thigh dagger wasn't as helpless as it seemed anymore. Hadn't Dyson coated the blade with anansi poison, one of the most potent toxins in existence? "A single drop could kill an elephant in three seconds flat," Dyson had said. Bo could only hope that she would get similar results on the Mbumba Luangu. Her previously wimpy dagger was now her best chance of surviving as long as she could avoid those monstrous fangs long enough to use it. She inched her hand down to her thigh slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements.

The snake continued its path around the pair of injured Fae, closing in on them. Bo also realized a little too late that it wasn't merely approaching them, it was circling them. Its long body emerged fully from the trees and was now forming a barricade around them. Bo couldn't have even run now if she'd tried. The snake hissed loudly, opening its giant mouth and bearing its long teeth. The coils around them began closing in. Bo had no idea if the snake was venomous. It could have undoubtedly broken some bones in her body if it bit, but it seemed more keen on crushing both her and Dyson to death instead. Maybe that made Fae taste better, Bo thought with a shudder.

Remaining still was getting more and more difficult, yet Bo suppressed her natural instinct to thrash about wildly in the shrinking space. Only when the coils threatened to squish her midsection did she duck down below. It bought her a mere second or two, but as soon as Bo was hovered over Dyson and out of the immediate kill zone, she plunged the dagger into the Mbumba Luangu's flesh. The sharp sting got its attention in a bad way.

Bo knew the retaliation would be coming swift and hard. She hoped the anansi poison worked, but what if it didn't? Had she merely ensured herself a more painful, gruesome death? And even if the poison did work, would it take hours before it finally took effect? If that was the case, Bo and Dyson were as good as dead anyway.

The coils threatening to squeeze the life from Bo and Dyson released. The snake hissed furiously at Bo and lunged at her with its fangs bared. Bo just barely hopped out of the way in time. Its mouth pounded into the ground next to Dyson's body with a loud thud. A second later, it had recoiled and was winding back for another kill shot. Again, Bo flung herself out of harm's way. Bo kept up the cat versus mouse game, but her evasive maneuvers were becoming increasingly erratic and sluggish the longer she stayed on her feet. On Bo's last jump, her muscles gave way, and she tripped and fell to the ground. By the time she rolled over, the Mbumba Luangu was reared back with its jaws spread wide. A cascade of rainbow light surrounded Bo, and she squinted into the sunlight to catch one final glimpse of her attacker before the end. There simply was no avoiding a strike now while she was injured and sprawled out on her back. She closed her eyes as soon as the fangs started moving toward her, and in the split second before she died, Bo thought of Lauren. The succubus sent up a silent apology for failing to win her freedom.

Bo winced and clenched her eyes shut even harder when she heard the sound of impact. The sensation of teeth piercing her skin didn't come, however, and the hissing stopped. There was a rustling on the ground, and then an enormous weight settled against Bo's body. She eased her eyes open—one at a time—afraid of what she might see. She nearly jumped at the sight of a massive yellow eye the size of a human head staring at her just inches away, but the snake didn't show any signs that it had seen her, even after she waved at it. The Mbumba Luangu was finally dead. Bo had to wriggle out from underneath the snake's lifeless body, no easy task with its weight. Dyson remained unconscious.

Bo needed to keep going, but she couldn't leave him exposed to whatever dangers still lurked in the jungle. In this state, he would be Fae food unless Bo hid him. She dragged his body into the mass of snake coils, making sure he was out of view. She even did some rearranging of the Mbumba Luangu to further disguise Dyson's hiding place. He would only be visible from above. Bo hoped the snake's form itself would be enough to deter any would be predators.

Bo staggered onward toward the center of the island. There was no need to wait for cover of darkness now. The heat was much worse, however, and soon Bo was growing increasingly lightheaded. That's when she saw it, a faint column of smoke rising in the distance, a tell tale sign of a Fae inhabitant.

"Gotcha, you son of a bitch," Bo muttered.

She pushed forward, following the trail in the sky. It eventually led her to a ramshackle hut whose walls appeared to be woven together with vines, twigs, and thin strips of wood. A strong gust of wind might have completely flattened it. There was no door, only a curtain that marked the hut's entrance. Bo didn't announce her presence, nor did she ask for permission to come inside. She pushed the curtain aside and stepped through.

"You're Tshombe, I take it?" Bo asked, startling the man. He clearly hadn't been expecting company, and as isolated as he was out here, it wasn't too far-fetched to believe he hadn't seen another soul in years.

Tshombe was hunched over the flames, prodding the logs below with a stick. When he jumped away, Bo could see some sort of meat roasting on a skewer above. His living quarters were about as shabby as his clothing, which was made of little more than tattered rags of rough, undyed cloth. He recovered from his shock quickly, straightening up and putting on a dignified mask.

He nodded. "And you must be Isabeau," he said smartly. "I heard whispers that you might attempt to contact me, but I must admit, I'm surprised that you actually found me. There aren't many up to the task."

"I'm persistent like that." Bo smirked defiantly, despite the fact that she nearly hadn't made it on numerous occasions. The gash on her arm, along with the other scratches and bruises peppering her body were a testament to just how closely she'd brushed failure.

"Yes, those rumors have also reached me even out here. I suppose there's no sense in me asking why you're here then, Ms. Isabeau. You wish to lift one of my curses, is that correct?"

"That's right."

Tshombe gave Bo a searching look and stroked his long, gray beard while he thought. "You do understand that if you wish to lift a curse, the reason must be selfless? If you were to remove the cursing nail under any other circumstances, the curse would fail to lift, and with the nail gone there would be no way to remove the curse ever again."

Bo didn't know that last part, but she nodded anyway.

"Another word of caution, Ms. Isabeau," Tshombe said. "I have placed many curses in my life, for one thing or another. And all of them were placed for a reason. Have you considered all the potential consequences of lifting this curse?"

"I have."

Bo might have imagined the doubtful look on Tshombe's face because she didn't trust any man who played a role in Lauren's servitude. Whether imagined or not, however, Bo bristled at it.

"Who is it that you've come to release?" Tshombe asked.

"Nadia."

"The human?" Tshombe stared at her, nonplussed. "I would have thought you would have come to release someone far more valuable to your tribes back home."

Bo ignored this. "So you remember her then?" she asked in an irritated tone.

"Of course. I remember every curse I've ever placed, Ms. Isabeau."

"Then tell me how to lift it."

Tshombe waved Bo toward a thick wooden beam sticking prominently in the ground. At first Bo thought it was a support for the hut (which was sorely needed, in Bo's opinion), but that was until she noticed the nails. Hundreds of them, just like the one she'd received from the Morrigan were blanketing out of every square inch of the wood. Some were still shiny and new, and others were so rusted they looked as if they were in danger of disintegrating on the spot. There was no telling how long Tshombe had been collecting them. A hundred years? Half a millennium? Bo couldn't even begin to guess.

To Bo, the piece of wood looked a terribly disorganized mess. There must have been some order in it to Tshombe, however. He sought out the correct nail immediately, waving Bo towards him.

"If your action is truly selfless, as you claim, removing this nail will give you the results you seek." He pointed to one particular nail in the sea of others. It didn't look nearly as old as any of the ones surrounding it. "If not, there is nothing else I can do for you."

"I've already told you," Bo said with a tinge of exasperation, "this is selfless. I'm not doing this for my own benefit. Far from it, actually," Bo added sadly. "What else do I have to do to convince you?"

"It's not me that you will need to convince."

Bo frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You cannot fool magic, Ms. Isabeau. Even the wisest Fae are capable of being duped, the strongest defeated, and the purest corrupted. Magic—having none of the failings of our people—is the only force our kind has that is truly impervious to all else. Once a curse has been sealed, that magical force force binds it. You cannot deceive it, no matter how desperately you may try. I should tell you, in my lifetime not one single soul has been successful lifting a curse after pulling their desired nail, yet every one of the hopeful rescuers assured me their intents were pure."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not everyone else then."

Bo could tell from the look on Tshombe's face that he wasn't buying into her bravado. He still thought she would walk away empty-handed just like all the others. Instead of replying, he gestured toward a tool resting against the base of the beam, which looked like a combination of a crowbar and the back end of a hammer. The prongs on it would only be useful for one thing: prying off nails. Bo picked it up, slowly raising it into place. She hesitated. There were no doubts; Bo knew what needed to be done. There was just a sense of finality about her impending actions that overwhelmed her. She thought again of Lauren being free, and yanked back hard. The nail came flying out, tumbling onto the dirt floor of the hut.

Bo wasn't sure what to expect when the curse was finally lifted—perhaps an ominous boom or a flash of light to signal that it had worked. But nothing happened. The sounds of the critters outside didn't even falter. Someone's life had changed irreversibly, and here in Tshombe's land, it was as if nothing had happened. The shaman was watching Bo with a disinterested expression that was positively maddening. He returned to his meal roasting over the fire, paying Bo no further notice.

There were hundreds of lives represented here, all of them held hostage in one way or another by this man. They had loved ones mourning for them… family, friends… Who gave Tshombe the right to take that away from them? Were they all like Nadia? Did Tshombe forfeit their lives and freedom all for a little bit of silver? Nobody had a right to play God like that. Each person he'd cursed deserved to live their lives free from meddling Fae like Tshombe and the former Ash. Bo was fortunate enough to live her life on her own terms, and these people should have that too.

Bo didn't put much thought into her actions. Starting near the hole Nadia's nail just occupied, she began frantically pulling out as many as she could, ignoring the stabbing pain in her injured arm. The first was driven in deeply, as were the second and third.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tshombe shouted from behind her. His air of calm superiority was gone, and he seemed both frightened and angered by Bo's actions.

Bo ignored him, yanking away the fourth and the fifth nails in quick succession.

Before she had a chance to attempt the sixth, Tshombe slammed into Bo's back, immediately grabbing for the tool in Bo's hand. She hadn't been expecting the move, or else she would have gripped the handle more securely. They scuffled for a bit, but Tshombe eventually pried it from her grasp. When Bo spun around, the shaman was panting from the exertion and held the metal tool in a defensive position. There was a murderous expression in his eyes.

"Foolish girl! Do you have any idea what you've just done?!" he hissed.

Bo said defiantly: "I only helped right some of your wrongs."

Tshombe apparently didn't like that answer. He charged at Bo, swinging the bar wildly at her head. Bo ducked it easily and caught the collar of his tunic with both hands. She pulled his face to hers, putting their mouths inches away from each other. She pulled at his chi, but none came. She tried even harder to draw it away from its body, but again nothing happened. Even if he'd been wearing a koushang, at least Bo would have gotten something.

"What the hell?" Bo muttered.

By this time, Tshombe had recovered his balance, and was rearing back to strike again. For some reason, Bo's succubus skills weren't working. Her attack had not only failed, but her battered body missed the effects of Tshombe's chi, which surely would have healed many of her injuries. Without healing, Bo didn't know how much more punishment her body could feasibly take. Her instincts for self-preservation kicked in and she launched herself forward to give Tshombe a mighty head butt. He let out a terrible yelp and staggered backward blindly with his hands covering his face. Three steps later, he tripped on the rocks surrounding his fire, stumbled backward and fell in. The flames licked at his clothes, instantly setting them ablaze and causing him to panic.

Through the sounds of the skirmish, Bo had no way of realizing that the rainforest around them, usually teeming with life, had fallen eerily silent. Even the torrential river Bo crossed earlier had slowed to barely a crawl. Bo only realized something was amiss when she felt a cold gust of wind blow through the hut's entrance, ruffling the frayed curtain covering it. The breeze kept growing stronger and stronger, even causing goosebumps to rise on Bo's skin. This wasn't usual weather here in the Congolese rainforest, she was certain. After spending the last few days trekking through its terrain, she'd almost grown accustomed to the uncomfortable heat and humidity. This felt like ice on her skin. Bo started to really worry once the winds reached gale forces. The loosely propped up walls began to wobble precariously, and if they grew any stronger, the hut would likely collapse altogether. There wasn't any time to waste, especially with Dyson's injury.

Ignoring Tshombe's cries for help, Bo fished out the pouch from her inside jacket pocket. Her hands were clumsy opening the soaked bag, but within seconds, Bo removed her token. It was a bronze coin, with a logo of the travel agency emblazoned on both faces. Bo palmed it and squeezed with all her might.

This time, Bo knew what was coming. She clenched her eyes shut just before the floor fell out from beneath her and the world started whizzing by her yet again.


End file.
